


Stroke of Midnight

by MarcelinaRose



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Cinderella but a masquerade ball, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mage Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Mickey and Oswald are the ultimate wingmen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Prince Riku (Kingdom Hearts), True Love, based off the interpretation that cinderella left her shoe on purpose cause it's a fun thought, sora's necklace is magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27833671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarcelinaRose/pseuds/MarcelinaRose
Summary: Sora knew the rule: on the stroke of midnight, everything would go back the way it was. That was why he wanted to stick with Vanitas so they could leave before the time came. But a distracted Vanitas wandered off, leaving Sora by himself to look for him. Little did Sora know he would have a distraction of his own, a distraction who happened to be the prince of Scala Ad Caelum.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

It was everything Sora had imagined: the luminescent lights that sparkled from the chandeliers above them, the melody filling the air with a pleasant tone, and the patrons that chatted and danced happily with each other. The warm tone flooded through him, seeping through the fabric of his clothes and even under the mask he was wearing. It matched the color scheme of his tux: a crimson red color that was outlined with a gold trim and curled upwards by the tip. His tailcoat was the same shade of red with white buttons adoring the gold cuffs on the ends of his sleeves. The hems of his white slacks were snuggled comfortably over the black shoes he wore that clicked across the floor with each light step. Every second he was in that ballroom, he was grateful for Aqua’s assistance. He had to be sure to thank her as well as Terra for the carriage.

“This is. . . absolutely wonderful,” He breathed out. “Wouldn’t you say so, Vani?” When he turned his head, there was no sight of him. Apparently, the second they entered the room, Vanitas decided to wander off to who knows where. Surrounding him were unknown names and masked faces. Sora blinked in surprise before he puffed his cheeks in a pout. A part of him hoped they would stay together for the entirety of the night. They had until midnight, after all; that was when the magic wore off.

Initially, Sora wanted to find his brother and stay by his side, but his mind went blank the second he saw a couple buffet tables off to the side where there was a small crowd of guests eating away. His mouth began to water; there were dishes he’d never seen before and dishes he hadn’t eaten in years. The smell drifted into his nose and wrapped around him in a tight but pleasant grip. The tips of his fingers tingled, and Sora found himself moving closer and closer to the first platter he came upon.

Ansem’s words to the neighboring king were drowning out in Riku’s ears. He couldn’t be bothered with even attempting to listen in since he already knew what the two men were talking about. He was standing behind his father at the throne, his hands pulling at the back of the blue tailcoat he was wearing. The cuffs on the hems of his sleeves were black with white buttons to match the black slacks and shoes that shone against the floor that had been polished clean mere hours before. His mask was black and curled into a downward tip, encased in a white trim that glistened in the light.

Riku’s shoulders sagged with boredom, lolling his head to the side with half-lid eyes. There was a yawn from behind him, and his gaze shifted to the two young boys —dressed in red, black, and blue with a pattern similar to his own clothes— at his right. Mickey’s face was stoic and deadpan, but Oswald’s face held visible exhaustion, and Riku could tell he was thinking of a way to leave the room. Riku couldn’t blame him; he was beginning to think of an excuse himself.

Instead of attempting to listen to what his father was saying, Riku turned to the guests waltzing across the floor and laughing happily. His pursed lips lowered into a noticeable frown. He knew the girls Ansem wanted to introduce him to were around somewhere, probably hiding due to shyness but wanting to catch his eye anyway. Riku wanted to scoff; if they wanted to talk to him, they could just come up to him. Riku wasn’t going to enjoy the conversation, but he would at least give them effort for making the attempt.

Riku’s mind went blank the second he spotted a red coat in the midst of the crowd. He froze on the spot and his breath hitched, eyes widening at the nest of brown spikes facing away from him, clearly occupied with whatever was in his hands. The smile curling his face made Riku’s heart swell with awe. Riku couldn’t say what it was. It could have been the aura surrounding this stranger or maybe it was because he practically glowed under the chandeliers. Regardless of why, there was a pull, a pull Riku couldn’t tear himself away from. He felt drawn to. . . whoever this was. As if there was a connection.

Mickey perked up at the movement on his left. One second, Riku was there, the next, he was stepping across the floor in long strides. His eyes followed the trail, widening when they saw who exactly their brother was heading towards. With a nudge, Oswald’s head jerked up in surprise, whipping around to see if anyone noticed he was dozing off. Mickey only rolled his eyes and pointed. Oswald turned around, then he grinned along with the other raven.

Just as Vanitas was about to say another word to the blonde at his side, his head turned towards the dance floor, his jaw dropping at the sight. His companion lifted an eyebrow from the green mask and tilted his head. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just. . .” Vanitas sounded out of breath. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“What are you— oh.” When the blonde turned, his eyes widened in understanding. “That is rather surprising.”

Vanitas’s eyes were filled with panic, and he hid his face in his hands with a quiet groan. “Hearts, why did I leave him alone? This is a disaster.”

“I wouldn’t say that just yet.”

“You don’t know my brother, Ventus.”

Sora gave his empty plate to a passing servant with a satisfied smile on his face. It took him a moment to realize the room went silent. He furrowed his brows and glanced around. There were hushed whispers around him, but Sora couldn’t make out what they were attempting to say. Sora pouted; he didn’t mind being the center of attention but not when people were talking about him behind his back. He had to wonder what was going on.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Sora whipped around at the voice and came face to face with a boy his age, and he froze. The way he was standing under the chandelier made his hair shine, almost as if the light was coming from him. Under the mask were eyes a rather pretty teal that reminded Sora of the ocean. Sora couldn’t help but be entranced by him, whoever this was.

The boy coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze momentarily, his cheeks tinted pink, and it caused Sora to blush as well. The boy held out his hand. “Would you care for a dance?”

Sora’s heart caught in his throat. He wanted to dance? With Sora? Out of everyone he could have chosen. Sora felt a little embarrassed, his face burning hotter, his gaze shifting between the other boy’s eyes and the hand that invited him. Something in his heart told him to say yes, to let this feeling in his chest pull him closer to the other boy. Sora reached out to take his hand, his smile beaming. “I would love to.”

Riku didn’t think he would accept. With a gentle tug, he pulled the stranger to the middle of the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Oswald whispering something to the leader of the band in the corner, and from the other side of the room, Mickey was peeking behind a pillar and giving him a thumbs up and a wide grin. He couldn’t tell what they were up to, but he wasn’t going to worry about it, not when he was focusing on wooing the boy in his arms.

A soft melody began to play, a melody Riku recognized all too well and one he was very reminiscent of. From the look on the other boy’s face, he seemed to know it as well.

With a single step, they were waltzing across the floor. Riku swore he heard the other boy humming the score under his breath, but he didn’t mind; he thought it was cute. Neither of them kept their eyes away from each other, but they moved together in sync with the rhythm. Riku had a tighter hold on the boy’s waist and snugged him closer. His breath hitched, causing Riku’s heart to swell.

It ended in an instant, but Riku saw an arm reaching out to him —possibly from one of the girls wanting his attention— before it was immediately slapped away by a familiar, gloved hand. Riku turned his head to see Mickey grinning at him once again. Riku mouthed a grateful “Thank you” before twirling towards the center of the floor.

Sora felt he was walking on air with the way they were dancing. The way they slid across the floor effortlessly still amazed him. It was almost like they were floating. And the boy currently twirling him was so. . . enchanting. Sora didn’t exactly know how to describe it. The aura surrounding him was something he couldn’t put his finger on. Sora wanted to say it was welcoming, but even that didn’t feel like the right word.

The music faded in the background before Sora realized, but he noticed the other boy slowing to a stop. He followed suit until they stopped completely. They pulled away to bow to each other, and the hall roared with applause. Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly with a chuckle before noticing his hand being taken again. He turned to see the boy still smiling at him, pulling him away from the floor towards a pair of large, double doors leading to a garden-like area. He barely noticed the other girls in the room gawking at the two of them with their hands and arms being slapped away by shadows. Sora wasn’t going to pay attention and allowed himself to be whisked away to privacy.

There was a gazebo in the middle of the garden, covered in vines and purple roses wrapped around the columns and reached to the grass underneath. A white bridge led to it, overshadowing the shallow river underneath it. The boy’s hand never left Sora’s and kept a firm grip Sora found comforting. They reached the gazebo and sat on a nearby bench under the arch. “I didn’t want to talk to you in front of those people,” The boy explained. “Some things are better left between the two of us.”

“And what do you want to say?” Sora lifted an eyebrow.

The other boy held in a breath. “I wasn’t exactly keen on attending the ball, but my father thought otherwise. I was about to up and leave since I didn’t want to be here, but. . . I changed my mind when I saw you.”

“Me?”

“I don’t know what it was, but there’s something about you that pulled me in. There’s this feeling in my chest whenever I look at you, and I just. . . acted on it.”

How Sora had the same idea, he had no clue. But he let the boy continue. “So, I wanted to get to know you a little better. If you’ll let me.”

Sora’s heart fluttered at the words. He relaxed his shoulders with a soft smile, keeping their hands locked tightly. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, anything, to be honest.”

Sora hummed. “Well, I came to the ball with my older brother. I wanted to go, and he came along cause he didn’t want me coming alone. I don’t know where he is, but I’m sure he’s having a fun time.”

“What about your parents?”

“Dunno,” Sora’s face grew somber. “They disappeared when I was a baby. We were taken in by someone who was passing by. It’s okay, though. I’m sure they didn’t mean to leave us,” Sora shook off the frown replacing his smile and turned to the other boy. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down. What about your folks?”

“I’m sort of in the same boat,” Riku replied and looked back at the bridge. “My mother died when I was young. I don’t have a lot of memories with her, so I wasn’t too affected, but my father was devastated. After that, he remarried, and I got two brothers from it.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be. I’m alright.” The boy gave him a comforting smile that made Sora’s blush darken. “I guess that also brought the mood down a little.”

“Not at all,” Sora shook his head. “We’re kind of the same, huh?”

“Is losing parents something common?”

“No, not that,” Sora bit the corner of his lip, trying to find the words. “I had that pull too with you, too.” The other boy’s eyes widened. “I feel connected to you, and I dunno why. We barely know each other. But. . . it feels right, y’know?”

The older boy hummed. “Maybe it’s destiny?”

Destiny. That word seemed to fit, but it wasn’t the word Sora was looking for. From the look on the other boy’s face, that was the best he could come up with at the moment. At least until his eyes widened slightly as if a lightbulb turned on in his mind. He looked back at Sora with a warm expression. “Maybe it’s love?”

The word left Sora out of breath., and he felt his heart tug. Would that explain the butterflies in his stomach? Would that explain why his face was so red? Would that explain why he hadn’t felt this way for anyone else? He almost didn’t notice the other boy moving closer to him, or it was him moving closer to the boy. Sora couldn’t tell, and he didn’t care. The boy’s other hand moved up to cup Sora’s chin, tilting his head up ever so slightly. “So, this is love.” He muttered as if to confirm it for himself. It must have since he wasn’t stopping the boy.

Their lips were only centimeters apart when the clocktower rang above them.

Sora pulled back to look at the time. His eyes widened with panic. “It’s midnight.”

The other boy lifted an eyebrow and followed his gaze. “What about it?”

Sora sprang up instantly, jerking his hands away and almost heading into a sprint. “I’m sorry, I gotta go!”

“Wait a minute!” The boy tried to grab his arm, but it slipped through his fingers. “Can you tell me your name!?”

Sora looked back, opening his mouth to respond before the second chime echoed into the night air. Sora pursed them shut and turned on his heel back into the hall. He pushed past the crowd, almost tripping over his feet as they murmured with confusion. “Wait!” The other boy’s voice was behind him, drowned out by the third chime, but he continued to look ahead, dashing to the double doors leading to the exit.

That was when he barreled into Vanitas, who was heading in the opposite direction. The raven’s eyes were blown wide, and he grabbed his brother by the wrist. “About time, lover boy! Hurry up!”

The fourth chime rang when they ran through the hall. The fifth chime rang when they reached the gates. Sora then skidded to a halt and whipped around, almost causing Vanitas to trip. “Sora, what are you doing!?”

Whoever that boy was, Sora wanted to see him again. He wanted to make sure he could see him again. Sora glanced at his necklace, the one Aqua gave him when he was a baby, one only he could wear.

“Sora!”

Vanitas’s voice wasn’t heard over the sixth chime, and it definitely wasn’t heard over the small clink of the necklace that rang loud in Sora’s ears as he yanked it off. Vanitas jerked him down the steps towards the red and gold carriage that waited before them. The necklace slipped from Sora’s fingers, and Sora watched it fall onto the steps with a soft clatter. He was then pushed into the carriage, and Vanitas was shouting at something before the carriage sped over the drawbridge and onto the street.

The seventh chime rang, and Vanitas glanced behind to see no horses following them. He breathed out a sigh and leaned back into the seat. He slipped the mask off of his face, his features beginning to relax. “You know, this wasn’t such a bad idea. Sorry I ran off like that, but this one guy —his name’s Ventus— he caught my attention, and I couldn’t _not_ talk to him. You get what I mean?”

But when Vanitas turned around, Sora’s mind was clearly elsewhere. He was spaced out with a soft blush on his face and a goofy grin. Vanitas couldn’t help but snort. “So, how was it?”

Sora snapped out of thought to face him as the eighth chime rolled along. He lifted an eyebrow. “How was what?”

“The dance.”

Sora slowly realized and lowered his head. “It was. . . Hearts, I don’t even know how to say it. It was wonderful, Vani.”

“You seemed to be having a good time.” The ninth chime rang as they entered the forest.

Sora nodded. “We talked for a bit too. I wish I got his name, though. But, it had to be midnight.”

Vanitas lifted an eyebrow, ignoring the carriage quite literally falling apart on them. After a rather large bump in the road, Sora fell over into his brother’s arms as they collapsed on the floor. The tenth chime echoed.

“Wait, you’re kidding right?” Vanitas shouted over the creaking of the carriage breaking apart. His sleeve was slipping off of his arm. “Do you not know who he is?”

Sora gave him a confused look as his jacket pooled at his waist and pulled itself apart. The eleventh chime rang out. “What do you mean?”

“Sora, you danced with the prince.”

The final chime sounded, and the spell was undone.


	2. Chapter 2

Riku stood alone on the castle steps, necklace in hand, looking longingly at the open gates and the empty street before him. He almost didn’t notice the crowd of patrons that followed him outside, muttering and whispering among themselves as to why the prince was in such a hurry. But Riku tuned them out, too focused on the boy he danced with hours before. He wanted to know the face behind the mask. If he had gotten a name, it would have been so much easier. Riku sighed with regret, his shoulders slumping before he turned on his heel to head back inside.

“What happened!?” A higher-pitched voice rang out. Mickey and Oswald skidded to a halt in Riku’s path, both of them looking quite bewildered and confused. But Mickey especially looked angry based on the pout he was sporting. “Riku, you had it! What happened!? What did you do!?”

“What did you say to make him run off like that!?” Oswald added and flailed his arms.

“I didn’t say or do anything,” Riku responded. “The clock struck midnight, and he ran off in a panic. I was trying to follow him, but everyone kept getting in my way. This was on the castle steps,” Riku held out the necklace to the duo. “But, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.”

“Is it his?” Mickey squinted at the necklace. “Has to be a piece of junk if it falls off like that.”

“It’s pretty well taken care of, so it means a lot to him,” Oswald pointed out. “No way he would have let it fall off. This was on purpose.”

“Why would he leave it?” Riku lifted an eyebrow.

“Are you daft!?” Oswald blurted out in disbelief. “He wants to see you again! That’s why he left the necklace for you! He wants you to give it back so you can see each other again!”

“I wish that was easy, but. . .” Riku scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know his name.”

“You spent the night with him, but you don’t know his name!?” Mickey was dumbfounded, and the look on Oswald’s face was a mix of disappointment and annoyance. “You’re joking right!?”

“He ran off before I could ask him! What was I supposed to do!?”

“What is all the commotion?”

The three boys turned to see King Ansem and one of his attendants —a bulky man with dreads— approach the floor with genuine confusion. He looked over the crowd of people still at the archway talking and chatting away. Then, Ansem looked to his eldest. “Is something the matter?”

“Father, Riku’s smitten!” Mickey wailed. “He danced with someone and let him run out of the castle!”

“You know Riku doesn’t go up to just anyone. He walked off to talk to this boy before Mickey and I even noticed he was gone. So we knew Riku had fallen head over heels for whoever this was, and we were going to help him out and make sure that this night didn’t go to waste. And they seemed to be getting along rather well until the boy ran off and Riku didn’t do anything to chase after him.” Oswald rambled on and fumbled with the silver rabbit pin on his shirt.

Ansem blinked in surprise and turned to the silver-haired boy. “Riku, is this true?”

“I— Well, I tried to go after him, but all of these girls blocked my path, and before I knew it, he was already down the steps. I couldn’t keep up.” Riku replied somberly and held out the necklace again. “He left this behind.”

“A necklace?” Ansem held out his hand, and Riku placed the accessory in his father’s palm.

“I wish I did more to make him stay.” Riku’s voice softened. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see him again.”

“Nonsense, Riku.” Ansem sounded serious. He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We’ll begin the search tomorrow morning.”

“Wait, so we’re going to find that boy with the necklace?” Mickey lifted an eyebrow. “How will we know it’s him? Someone else could claim the necklace instead.”

“Something tells me this isn’t any ordinary trinket,” Ansem gave the necklace back and turned to his attendant. “Let it be known: every man of every household shall be questioned until the owner of this necklace is found. The owner shall then be married to the Crown Prince and join the royal family.”

“Wait, marry!?” Riku was taken back.

“You love this boy, do you not?”

“I—” Riku paused. “Yes, I do. With all my heart.”

“Then it’s decided.” Without another word, Ansem and his attendant turned on their heels and headed back into the ballroom.

“Don’t worry, Riku,” Oswald patted him on the back. “I’m sure he’ll be found in no time.”

“Y’know, before he ran off, he looked like he was enjoying himself,” Mickey added on. “He looked happy with you.”

Riku would have to be an idiot to not believe him. That smile said it all. He did enjoy himself, and Riku was certain that boy would have stayed if he chose to. But why he left was the question. Maybe he could ask him once he returned the necklace.

* * *

“You really think the prince got the message?” Vanitas didn’t sound convinced, but he was too busy focusing on the strips of fabric that fell off of him when Aqua’s spell wore off. It was rolled up and floating in the air surrounded in a purple light. Vanitas pointed his finger towards a shelf, and the fabric zipped into that direction.

Meanwhile, Sora was sitting next to the window, resting his chin in the palm of his hand while staring at the night sky. He was already dressed for the night and was about to crawl into bed until he saw the castle again. He was humming the melody from earlier, the one he danced to with the prince. A small bottle with a glowing red aura was bobbing in time with the melody as Sora’s finger played the role of a conductor. Sora had a dreamy look in his eyes, one that creeped Vanitas out to no end. Hearts, he had fallen so hard for the prince, it was almost hard to believe he was the same person. But Vanitas knew better. If he wasn’t trying to sweep Ventus off his feet the second he saw him, he wouldn’t think himself a hypocrite. “Sora?”

“Huh?” Sora snapped out of thought, and the bottle dropped to the floor with a soft clatter.

“I asked if you think he got the message?” Vanitas’s eyes panned to his chest, pointing to the empty space where his necklace should be. “You think that was a good enough clue?”

Sora looked down with a soft “Oh” and placed his hand over the spot. The smile never left his face. He looked almost sure of himself, confusing Vanitas. They hadn’t talked for long, so how was Sora so confident? The prince doesn’t even know his name, so how did he know?

Sora turned back to the castle. “I trust him.”

“Really. You barely spoke a word to him, and you trust him that much?”

Sora nodded. “He has my necklace, so it’s safe to think he’d want to give it back to me. And we had a connection. I don’t know how to describe how, but it’s there.”

Vanitas strode to his side, leaning against the windowsill with a hum. “Well, I’ll take your word on it. Don’t have a choice but to since we gotta wait and see.”

“Yeah.” Sora stifled a yawn but tucked his head in his arms. The adrenaline rush from earlier was long gone, so it was hard for him to stay awake. The castle continued to shine across the kingdom as if it was a giant beacon. Sora’s thoughts went back to the prince and the dance they shared. Sora wasn’t worried, at least not as much as Vanitas thought he should be. It could take one day, or two, or maybe even a week, but deep in his heart, Sora knew the prince would find his way back to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna include Aqua in this chapter, but since I wanted to get it done, I decided to save her for next time. So instead, have Mickey and Oswald being in disbelief. I just realized I'm posting this around Valentine's day so happy Valentine's everyone.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcelinaRose15  
> My asks are open: http://marcigray.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Got this done just in time for soriku day! Welcome to the 3-part "masquerade ball but Cinderella-ish" AU that I thought of while watching Cinderella one day. Also prince Riku is a blessing to this world and I would like there to be more of him. Comments are always appreciated, and happy soriku day everyone!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcelinaRose15  
> My asks are open: http://marcigray.tumblr.com/


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